Windows Phone doubles European users

The future is looking good for Windows Phone devices as the mobile phone operating system has nearly doubled its number of users within a year.

Microsoft's software currently has a 9.2 per cent share of the top five European markets, which is a significant increase from the 5.1 per cent it had this time last year.

The latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel show how smartphones are performing in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain as well as a small number of countries in other continents.

Microsoft is doing particularly well with the Brits, as it has reached double figures with a 12 per cent market share in Great Britain. This is a significant increase from the 4.5 per cent it had in 2012. The French are also keen to get their hands on Windows Phone-toting handsets, with its share boosting from 5.6 per cent last year to 10.8 per cent currently.

Although the software is still struggling to compete with Android and iOS, it is growing more rapidly in Europe than any of its rivals.